How to Record a Video Presentation with Soapbox

Using video in async communication is quick and easy, and many people find videos more engaging and easier to absorb than written text. So, learning how to record yourself presenting on camera is one of the best soft skills you can have in the industry.

Whether you’re giving a sales pitch, communicating with your client, updating your team, or sharing some ideas with a colleague, Soapbox is the best tool for the job. Every time you record a presentation, you can easily share it with prospects, or export it to your Wistia account. This guide will take you through the entire process!

We’ve also included best practices and essential video go-to’s. With these simple steps, you’ll be well on your way to making a great presentation video using Soapbox whenever you need to.

Prepare for the presentation

Once you’ve got your Soapbox Chrome extension fired up and ready to go, take these steps to get your screen, audio, and video ready for the presentation.

Clear your screen

Chances are your audience isn’t super interested in the unreal amount of browser tabs you have open. Be sure to keep your screen looking spick-and-span before you start rolling:

• Close all of your tabs and hide your bookmarks
• Move your desktop files out of view
• Mute your notifications
• Keep an eye on your mouse cursor

Adjust your camera shot

Always check your shot in the video recording window before you get started. This gives you a chance to fix your framing, lighting, brush your hair, and maybe move that pile of laundry out of sight.

Framing

To frame your webcam shot like a pro:

• Sit about an arm’s length away from your camera or your laptop’s built-in webcam.
• Position your webcam to sit above your eye line — there should be some room above your head.
• As you record, look at the top of your screen, so people can see your eyes clearly.

Lighting

Make use of natural light by facing a window. Avoid recording with a light source behind you or directly above or below you (unless you’re going for that vibe). If you’re recording in a dark room, gently light your face with a small lamp or your computer monitor behind the camera. You can get LED lights for a more professional setup for not much cash.

Limit background noise

Make sure your audience is able to focus on what you’re saying rather than your coworker’s DJ skills. Try to limit any noise in the space where you’ll be recording audio for the presentation. Let anyone around you know that you’ll be recording to avoid any interruptions or unwanted background noise.

Have a quick run-through

Rehearse your presentation to help you to feel more confident as you present. A run-through ensures you’ve got all your web pages loaded and any files you’ll need already pulled up.

If you’re presenting a PowerPoint, go through your slide deck to make sure everything looks good on the screen. A rehearsal will also help you check the running time of your presentation — that way you can determine if you need to cut down or add to what you plan to say.

Record yourself presenting

When you’ve done your prep, it’s time to start recording. The on-screen prompts in Soapbox will guide you through the recording process. Here are some presentation tips to help you record a great presentation video.

Use the teleprompter

You don’t want to be looking down or shuffling through notes while you give your presentation. Add a script or some notes to the Soapbox teleprompter to help you out when you present. That way, you won’t miss all the important points you want to include in your video, and you can keep your eyeline up.

If you’re going to record a PowerPoint presentation, you could also put some key talking points in your PowerPoint slides if that helps! Same goes for a Google slides or Apple Keynote presentation deck.

Keep it concise and clear

No one wants to watch a super long presentation video! Keep your video quick and concise by sticking to the main topics you plan to cover. If your recording is getting long, consider creating multiple short and easily digestible video clips instead of one long video.

If you’re a bit nervous to be on camera, you might talk fast to get all the information out and over with. Take some deep breaths before you hit record — you’ve got this! Speak slowly enough so your presentation is easy to understand.

And, don’t forget to smile! Keep it friendly and conversational.

Re-record as much as you need

You might feel the pressure to record a video in one sitting, but there’s no rule that says you can’t do multiple takes (at least that we’re aware of). Try it out as many times as you need! Take a deep breath, smile to the camerea, and be yourself! That authenticity will come across loud and clear in your finished product.

You don’t need a perfect recording, either. You can cut any unwanted intros or outros from your Soapbox video afterward! Just end your presentation with a wave or a smile and trim the rest out later.

Edit your video presentation

When you’ve finished recording, you’ll be able to do some light video editing to your Soapbox video.

Start and end with your face

Bookend your Soapbox videos with your face! It provides a warm welcome to the start of your video and leaves viewers with a friendly ending to your presentation.

To get the start and end of your video looking polished, trim out any extra dead space before and after you start talking.

Zoom to emphasize your points

You can highlight specific points in your video, especially those can’t-miss details, with the zoom feature so you can draw the viewer’s attention to a particular part of the screen recording.

Find the moment you’d like to focus on, add a “screen” layout change, and hit the “+” symbol to zoom. Finally, use your mouse to click and drag the video to find the part of the screen you want to show off.

Customize the thumbnail and title

The video thumbnail is one of the first things that your viewers will see. It’s what will help people decide if they want to watch the video or not, so it should be clear, appealing, and show yourself!

Upload a photo for your thumbnail, or choose a frame from the video. We recommend using a thumbnail with the split-screen layout so viewers know what kind of video they’re about to watch, like in this example of Trevor from one of our emails.

Give your video a title that is simple and relevant, so your viewers know what to expect. A simple and descriptive title is helpful when sharing videos with sales prospects and colleagues.

Share your video recording

With your video ready to go, use the share tab to access your video in different formats, depending on what you want it for. You might export it to use in another project, send the link to a colleague, or embed it on a webpage.

All your videos will be saved in the “My Videos” section if you need to access them later. There are a few different sharing options:

• Download your video file
• Export to Wistia
• Share via a link

If you want to embed your video along with the thumbnail in something like a sales email, select “Copy Link with Thumbnail” from the drop-down list. If you only want to share the video link, choose “Copy Only Link". When sending messages or emails with Soapbox recordings, be sure to give folks some context — don’t just send the video!

Set up the Soapbox-Gmail integration to access your videos directly from your email account.

You’re ready to make a video presentation

Once you record yourself presenting on camera for the first time, things will only get easier! Now that you know how to make high-quality presentation videos like a pro, you can start thinking about more ways to use video at your organization, from internal communications to blog videos. Here are 15 ideas for types of videos every business can use.